


Murder in the mountains

by Agika



Series: Miss Fisher in Europe [3]
Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:22:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23051644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agika/pseuds/Agika
Summary: It seems that Phryne's and Jack's work is not done after they solved a murder in Matchingham Hall. They receive a strange invitation from a dead man. Of course Phryne had to get to the bottom of it so they end up in the chalet of Phryne's dead ex-lover. After a while more guests arrive to the chalet and everyone has the same invite in his hand. Murder happens soon enough and everyone is acting suspiciously. Will Phryne and Jack able to solve this case which is also connected to a long lost diamond.
Relationships: Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Series: Miss Fisher in Europe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1549165
Comments: 13
Kudos: 18





	1. Gathering

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you'll like my 3rd fic! Please leave your comment here, I'm really curious about your opinion!

She felt the excitement again as she was moving faster and faster. She groaned in joy as their bodies got closer to each other but she didn’t let Jack to overcome. She glanced at him. He was flushed, his hair was messy and he was gasping for air but he was still smiling at her playfully.  
‘I hope you like to watch my back, Inspector!’ Phryne said mockingly.  
‘We will see about that, Miss Fisher’ Jack laughed as he was moving even faster.  
‘Come and get me, then’ she winked at him.  
Phryne started screaming lustily as they reached the cock-shot together.  
‘I must say, you’re quite good at this, Inspector’ Phryne said while she was still gasping for air ‘But you need more practice to conquer me.’  
‘Thank you’ Jack laughed as he adjusted his outfit ‘I am glad you are satisfied with my skills, Miss Fisher.’  
‘Perhaps you can show your other skills inside the cabin’ Phryne said seductively ‘Maybe I’ll let you even to overcome me.’ As soon as Phryne said this, Jack dropped his skis, picked her up lightly and hurried off toward the chalet where they were staying for a couple of days now.  
When Phryne got the invitation from her dead ex-lover, Adam Johnson, aka Johnny, at first Jack was quite skeptical about their ski trip. He didn’t like Johnny and his constant flirting with Phryne when he was alive and now that he was dead it seemed like he was still doing everything he could do against his relationship with her. Also there were a few more factors which made him even more worried.  
Shortly after they got the invite, Phryne called all of her common friends with Johnny but no one knows about a ski trip or anything else was planned in the chalet.  
‘This whole business seems queer to me, Phryne’ Jack gave voice to his uneasiness as Phryne put down the phone after she arranged her last call ‘It doesn’t make any sense.’  
‘I know’ she answered as Jack handed her a drink ‘That’s why we are leaving tomorrow of course.’ She said lightly and Jack saw the glitter in her eyes which always appeared whenever Miss Fisher smelled mystery.  
‘Of course’ Jack sighed resignedly.  
And now here they were, in Johnny’s chalet and waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately Phryne couldn’t reach Johnny’s family, just a couple of old friends so they didn’t really know if they could expect other guests.  
It made the situation even more difficult that there was no telephone in the chalet, only a radio for emergency. In the beginning Jack found this comforting and even romantic. They spent a lot of time together skiing, discovering the mountain and in the evenings Jack showed Phryne his culinary talent by making her dinner. He was quite proud of the few meals he could make in the kitchen and felt excited when she tasted his famous chicken soup for the first time. ‘It’s not bad, Jack dear, but I think you should rather stick to what you are really good at.’ She smiled at her playfully and the next thing Jack could remember that they went wild on the dining table.  
A couple of days passed liked this then the initial excitement was replaced by anxiety. Jack felt that he was getting jumpy and he was afraid that someone can break the door on them anytime. Actually he wasn’t entirely wrong about that.  
They entered the chalet’s door while they were still giggling lustily and they started to undress each other when they heard a polite cough from behind their backs.  
‘Excuse me, the door was open so I let myself in.’ The owner of the cough stood up from one of the sofas. He was an elegantly dressed gentleman in his forties. It seemed like he has just arrived, Phryne spotted his suitcases next to the front door. ‘My name is Mr Flower, I am Mr Johnson’s lawyer and the executor of his will’ he said and shook Phryne’s hand.  
‘The Honorable Phryne Fisher’ Phryne said ‘and this is Mr Jack Robinson.’ Jack nodded toward Mr Flower.  
‘My apologies that I bother you here, Miss Fisher’ Mr Flower continued ‘But I am afraid I had no other option. My job is to execute Mr Johnson’s will and I have been informed that every beneficiary will gather here for a … khm … ski trip. I wanted to notify you of my arrival but…’  
‘That is quite alright, Mr Flower’ Phryne cut in. Mr Flower spoke way too slowly and official for her taste ‘Please, feel at home’ she said and handed him a drink.  
‘Thank you, Miss Fisher’ Mr Flower nodded and took the drink with slight relief on his face.  
‘I don’t want to be rude, Mr Flower but you’ve said something about other beneficiaries?’ Phryne asked with interest but before he could answer, they heard a loud knock on the front door.  
Jack hurried to the door and opened it. There were three people in the door fidgeting and shivering from the cold wind. They sighed in relief as they entered the chalet where the fire was already flaming in the fireplace pleasantly warming the room. One of the new guests who looked like the slightly older version of Johnny stretched out his hand toward Jack:  
‘Good afternoon, Sir’ he said. His voice was rather commanding ‘I am Lieutenant Johnson and this is my wife, Mary’ he pointed at the woman next to him who was wrapped up in an elegant fur coat. She didn’t say anything just nodded towards Jack.  
‘Lieutenant!’ Phryne stormed in front of them ‘So delighted to finally meet you. I am Phryne Fisher and this is Jack Robinson’ she stretched out her hand and the Lieutenant shook it. She has never met Johnny’s older brother before and she always had a feeling that there is some tension between them because he didn’t even talk too much about him. The rivalry between two brothers was quite a usual thing but she didn’t think that it was all about.  
‘Are you Henry’s daughter?’ He asked. Phryne didn’t like this identification at all but she nodded nicely. There was something raw in his manner and she didn’t like it.  
‘How are you doing, Sarah?’ She turned towards the third person who was wearing strong makeup and expensive clothes.  
‘I’m freezing, darling’ she said and threw kisses towards her. Her voice was husky and she lit on a cigarette almost immediately as she entered the room.  
‘My sincere condolences for your brother’ Phryne took Sarah’s hands. She didn’t answer just sighed deeply and straightened her bleached hair.  
‘Thank you, Miss Fisher’ the Lieutenant said without emotions.  
‘Please, call me Phryne’ Phryne said kindly ‘our parents were practically neighbors after all.’  
‘Very well then, Phryne’ He nodded.  
Before he could offer her the same they heard a knock on the door again. It was Thomas, a local young boy who supplied the chalet with food and any necessary things from the nearest village. Johnny taught him English occasionally and now he could speak a quite unusual mixed language from English and German.  
‘Guten Abend, Miss’ he said cheerfully as Phryne opened the door. ‘These people said that they were heading to the chalet so I brought them here.’ He pointed at the new visitors who were covered in warm clothes and yet still shivering from the cold wind.  
‘Giovanni!’ Phryne jumped into the neck of a handsome, young man with dark hair. “Great” Jack thought to himself “another handsome, exotic fellow she first-name” ‘It’s been decades!’  
‘Phryne!’ He greeted her kindly although he glanced around nervously ‘I didn’t expect you here, darling.’  
‘I thought you might need some help now, Miss that…khm… there are more people here’ Thomas cut in his boyish voice and pointed at a woman and a man who were dressed in simple and practical warm clothes. ‘Mr and Mrs Gruber are my neighbors and they would be more than happy to help you out.’  
‘Thank you and nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Gruber’ Phryne smiled at them kindly but they didn’t answer.  
‘I’m afraid they only speak German, Miss.’ Thomas said and said something to the Grubers in German. They both nodded and smiled at Phryne.  
‘Grüss Gott, Ich heisse Jack’ Jack saved her from the awkward situation and introduced himself in German. The Grubers seemed delighted and followed him to the kitchen while they were talking rather loudly than necessary.  
‘I think we can handle it, thank you Thomas’ Phryne glanced adorably at Jack who was still explaining something to the villagers in German.  
‘Not at all, Miss.’ Thomas nodded. ‘We are expecting a snow storm soon, so I think I will go now.’ Phryne nodded. She could even smell that a storm is coming. She put some banknotes in Thomas’ hand and let him go. She closed the door quickly and turned around. She was truly hoping that there will be no more visitors as she looked around the room filled with people who were staring at each other awkwardly. Her gaze rested at the young woman who arrived here with Giovanni. She was wearing a heavy makeup so her age was almost impossible to tell but Phryne assumed she could be in her late twenties, just like herself. She wore her shiny red hair in a fashionable bun but her clothes were rather cheap and base.  
‘I don’t think we have ever met.’ Phryne turned towards her kindly. ‘I’m Phryne Fisher.’  
‘Oh, I’m sorry, this is Miss Ruby Red’ Giovanni said apologetically. “Oh my, her name is worse than a lower class actress’.” Phryne thought as she shook her hand.  
‘Nice to meet you, Miss Fisher’ Miss Red smiled at her kindly. Her accent indicated that she came from the lower circles of society.  
‘You can call me, Phryne’ Phryne answered with a big smile ‘Let’s find you a bedroom then. You must be exhausted from the long journey…’  
‘Actually’ Giovanni cut in embarrassment ‘We are not a couple, Phryne. We’ve just met in the village and came here to the chalet together.’  
‘Oh…’ Phryne stopped. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes.  
‘But where is our host?’ Giovanni asked and looked around the room as if he was looking for Johnny to hop out from one of the corners any minute. ‘I’m sure he has an explanation why he wanted all of us here…’  
‘You didn’t know…?’ Phryne stared at him, frozen.  
‘Know what?’ He asked. More awkward silence.  
Phryne sighed deeply before she started to speak. They obviously didn’t hear about Johnny’s murder. By the time she finished the story about exactly what happened in Matchingham, everyone gathered around her and stared at her amazed. Phryne figured that not even Johnny’s family heard the whole story about his murder before.  
‘I had no idea’ Giovanni said shocked ‘I’ve even got an invitation from him just a couple of days ago to attend a ski trip in his chalet’  
‘Me too. What is going on here? Is this a twisted joke?’ Ruby jumped up from the sofa. There were tears in her big green eyes. Phryne studied her with pierced eyes, there was something peculiar about this girl but she couldn’t put her finger on it.  
‘Actually we’ve got an invitation too’ the Lieutenant said and took out a piece of paper from his vest pocket.  
‘May I?’ Phryne asked and took the paper from him after he nodded.  
It was quite similar to the telegram she received in London but it was a letter. It explained why the others arrived here a few days later, because they got the invite later than Phryne. She started to read it.  
“Dear Brother,  
I would like you and your lovely wife to join me on my usual winter holiday in my chalet in the Alps. There are important matters I’d like to discuss with you in person.”  
It was his signature on the bottom of the short letter but one could easily fake it. Also it was dated after Johnny’s death. Phryne was sure that he didn’t write this but who did then? And why they are all here?  
‘I have to agree with Miss Red’ the Lieutenant said ‘This must be a twisted joke’ Phryne nodded.  
‘We got the same invite’ She sighed ‘Excuse me to ask this, Lieutenant, but why did you bother to come here when you already know that Adam was dead and he couldn’t possibly write this letter?’  
‘To be honest I didn’t want to at first. But then I talked to my lawyer who was insisted to get to the bottom of this strange invitation’ he pointed at Mr Flower who stood up slowly.  
‘That’s right, Miss Fisher’ Mr Flower said ‘But to tell you the truth this wasn’t my intention at all’ He paused and everyone looked at him curiously. ‘The thing is’ he continued ‘as I’ve already mentioned to Miss Fisher and Mr Robinson that I am the executor of Mr Johnson’s last will and he gave me clear instructions about how to proceed his will.’  
‘Meaning?’ the Lieutenant’s voice was commanding again.  
‘He wanted his will to be read in his chalet and also the presence of his siblings and Miss Fisher and Mr Giovanni Rosso. That is why I thought that the invitation was intentional and written by Mr Johnson’  
‘What about Miss Red?’ Phryne pointed at Ruby.  
‘He didn’t mention her in his will’ Mr Flower answered. There was an awkward silence once again. It seemed that everyone was processing the things they’ve just heard.  
‘Honestly I don’t know why he had to dramatize’ the Lieutenant sighed deeply as he shook his head. ‘Everyone knew that my brother had no money.’  
‘This chalet was his only fortune’ Phryne added thoughtfully.  
‘Exactly’ Mr Flower said and everyone looked at him again. ‘I think it’s time for me to read out his last will’  
Phryne sighed. The last time she heard someone to talk about his will, two people died, and one of them was Johnny.


	2. Sending love from death

Mr Flower cleared his throat before he started to speak.  
‘As we’ve already heard from Lieutenant Johnson, Mr Johnson’s fortune at the time of his death was quite…khm… insignificant, so obviously his last will is quite short…’  
Phryne sighed. Mr Flower spoke so slowly that she just wanted to shake him and yell at him to get to the point already. After the usual legal wording which seemed like an eternity to her, he finally reached the interesting part of the will. When he finished, there was a little silence. Even Phryne looked at the lawyer puzzled.  
‘Excuse me, Mr Flower’ Sarah Johnson turned towards the lawyer ‘Would be kind enough to explain to those who didn’t go to law school what this all means for us?’  
‘Damnit, Sarah’ the Lieutenant cut in angrily. ‘You are so dumb! It means that we have to pay all of Adam’s debts while her mistress get his only valuable thing he had.’ He pointed towards Phryne furiously ‘It means that our own flesh and blood didn’t care about us at all, just his dick, as usual.’   
‘Excuse me?!’ Phryne jumped up. She didn’t care that Johnny’s siblings only see their brother’s mistress in her but she couldn’t let them to think that she was a gold digger. Also nobody can talk to her the way that he has just did. ‘I can assure you, Lieutenant, that I have nothing to do with this and I would never ask for this.’ She said sternly.  
‘Cut it, Miss Fisher’ the Lieutenant started to yell ‘I know where you came from and I know your kind very well. You are nothing but a cruel cunt…’   
But he couldn’t finish his sentence because suddenly Jack’s fist slammed into his face and he spread out on the floor.   
‘Are you completely insane?!’ Mary Johnson yelled at Jack while she kneeled down beside her husband. She started to examine him with competency. Phryne has seen many times by nurses doing the same thing during the war. She kneeled down next to her to help but Mrs Johnson only gave her a murderous look.  
‘I think you and your friend have done enough, Miss Fisher’ she said sternly and Phryne decided not to argue. She was obviously in shock.  
‘You bastard…’ the Lieutenant started to regain consciousness ‘I will kill you for that…’  
He looked at Jack threateningly but he couldn’t stand up. His wife wanted to support him but he pushed her back.  
‘Damnit, Mary…’ he murmured.  
Suddenly a polite cough disturbed the interlude and everyone looked at Mr Flower again.  
‘Excuse me but I’m not quite finished yet…’ He said and cleared his throat again. ‘There is something else I have to do’ He picked up his briefcase and pulled out an envelope from it. ‘My client insisted that I have to hand this letter to Miss Fisher after I have read his will.’  
Phryne took the envelope blankly. She didn’t understand what was in Johnny’s mind when he made this ridiculous last will which humiliates his family and makes her extremely uncomfortable. She was only hoping that this letter will give her some explanation.  
‘Phryne dear’ Sarah appeared next to Phryne ‘I think I can say it on behalf of everyone that you should share what’s in that letter.’ Her voice stayed calm and kind but Phryne knew her to well to tell that it was an order not a request.  
‘I’m sorry Sarah but this letter was addressed to me and I will decide about its content.’ she said sternly and she saw anger in Sarah’s eyes. They stared at each other for a while when Jack cut in.  
‘I think it would be the best if we just retire for the night and we can talk about this in the morning.’ He said and started to shepherd Phryne towards the stairs before she could say anything else.  
‘If you think that I can stay here even for a minute, you are a fool.’ the Lieutenant said in an indignant tone and tried to stand up again without any success.  
‘Charles, you are not in that state’ Mrs Mary Johnson said severely then turned towards Jack ‘And it is the least they could do for us after such behavior. I hope this is not how people treat guests in Melbourne…’  
‘My guests in Melbourne usually don’t insult me, Mrs Johnson’ Phryne said gravely and Mrs Johnson decided to not to answer that. Instead she supported his husband towards the bedrooms.   
‘Guests…’ the Lieutenant murmured as they passed Phryne and Jack and started to walk up the stairs.  
‘Not that way, Mrs Johnson’ Phryne said with a kind smile but in a sarcastic tone. ‘Mr Robinson and I sleep in the master bedroom, you can have the guestroom on the ground floor.’  
They looked at Phryne like they could strangle her with bare hands but they didn’t answer just left to the direction where she was pointing at. Jack looked at her surprised. She wasn’t usually this petty, they must have insulted her seriously.  
Silence fell on the group again as the Johnsons left. Jack was about to drag Phryne to their room when Giovanni spoke out.  
‘I don’t understand’ he said ‘Johnny didn’t mention me or Miss Red on his will. Why are we here then?’  
‘That was all I knew, Mr Rosso, I’m afraid’ Mr Flower said ‘I’m just an executor.’ He spread his arms.  
‘Are you, Mr Flower?’ Phryne asked in a high pitched voice. ‘Because it seems to me that you were the only person who wanted us here. Why did you convince the Johnsons to come here and hear the will which affected them adversely?’  
‘I’ve already told you, Miss Fisher’ he said sternly ‘It was the wish of my client.’  
‘I actually knew your client pretty well, Mr Flower’ she said while she was studying the lawyer’s face with pierced eyes. ‘And God knows he wasn’t perfect but he wasn’t cruel.’  
‘That is true’ Sarah cut in quietly as she was smoking her cigarette pensively. ‘My brother wouldn’t have done something like that…’  
‘Perhaps you should read his letter then, Miss Fisher’ the lawyer answered simply and pointed at the envelope which was still in Phryne’s hand.  
‘Did you read it, Mr Flower?’ Phryne asked innocently and the lawyer’s face became red.  
‘Even the assumption is highly offensive’ he said indignantly then inhaled deeply to calm down a little. ‘Perhaps we should do what Mr Robinson recommended and sleep on it.’  
Phryne wasn’t entirely satisfied with that answer but she decided to let it go for now. She looked around the room again. Everyone seemed frustrated and brooding like herself. She wanted answers and she had a feeling that she could get them from the letter she was still holding in her hand.  
************************************************  
Back in their room she closed the door and ripped up the envelope while Jack was fetching her a drink. This was obviously written by Johnny. Phryne recognized his handwriting and style immediately. The letter was quite short but there was still a lot of content in that.  
“My dearest Phryne,  
If you are reading this, I am probably dead and your pretty head is full of questions. I hope that after you finished reading, you will get all of your answers. You are the brightest person I know, Phryne and the only one I can still trust. Even if I know that I betrayed your trust too many times.  
Do you remember when we met for the first time as adults? I have just returned from the US and I was very confused about everything. But I was sure in one thing when I saw that confident smile on your gorgeous face. That time I couldn’t tell you but I had a big secret which I couldn’t tell to anyone.   
When I brought you in the chalet I decided to hide it here, the safest place I know, until I figure it out what shall I do with it. Now it is time to give it to you and let you to act at your best discretion.   
I wasn’t sure if this letter would stay unread, but I do know how you like mysteries so here is a little puzzle for you, Phry:  
You have to collect all of my hints  
to find what I hid.  
You’ll go the place  
Which is my fave  
There you find what you’re looking.  
Good luck! And remember, you can’t trust in anyone. Especially my family.  
Sending lots of love from the death,  
Johnny”  
After she finished the letter she took the drink from Jack and drank it in one sip. Johnny always overcomplicated things in his life and apparently it didn’t change after his death either. He probably hid some ridiculous and overrated thing somewhere and he was expecting her to spend a lot of time now to find it. If he wouldn’t be dead already she would definitely kill him.  
‘Well’ she turned towards Jack who was eagerly waiting for her to say something ‘I have already know for sure why Johnny wanted me to have the chalet. He wanted to play with me one last time’  
Jack looked at her puzzled and she handed the letter to him. He studied it for a while with narrowed eyes.  
‘Is this a joke?’ finally he asked. Phryne didn’t answer just shook her head and had another drink.  
‘Probably’ she sighed deeply ‘I’ll tell the family tomorrow. I guess both of us owe them an apology after what happened this evening.’   
She looked at Jack meaningfully. He sighed. He knew perfectly well that he came too far by punching the Lieutenant even if he deserved it.   
Honestly he didn’t feel comfortable lately. It all started when Johnny died. His death broke Phryne a little and things changed between them. He thought she needed more time to mourn her friend but he wasn’t sure that spending time in Johnny’s chalet would make things better. And when the Lieutenant called Phryne…that, hinting that she was only a greedy mistress, he just lost it.  
He looked at Phryne who by his surprise was smiling at him kindly, like she has already known what was on his mind. She sat closer to him and looked in his eyes.  
‘You probably know quite well by now that I can protect myself, Inspector.’ she whispered, their faces were only inches apart.   
‘I know’ he said in a low voice. After all this time he was still struggling with finding words when she was so close to him. ‘I’m sorry, Phryne, I don’t know what possessed me.’  
‘I think I know, Jack’ she was still whispering and she glanced at his lips ‘I understand that this situation might be difficult to you’ Jack wanted to answer but she put her forefinger on his lips ‘I was thinking that we should leave tomorrow. The invitation was clearly a fraud and there is no mystery to solve here…’  
He looked at her puzzled. Her voice was casual but he knew well that it wasn’t that simple. She must have been overwhelmed by everything that happened lately and disappointed in her friend.   
‘If that is what you want’ he said in a low, hoarse voice while he was studying Phryne’s face ‘You know I will follow you anywhere.’   
‘I do hope so, Inspector’ she said playfully before she kissed him. He returned the kiss quite passionately. ‘Let out all of your frustration, Jack.’ Phryne said mockingly. ‘This might be a better way to do, than punching people…’  
As they deepened the kiss, Phryne found herself lying on her back on the sofa while she felt Jack’s hand sliding up her thigh. She moaned passionately when he finally removed her underwear and his fingers started wandering between her thighs. He already took off his sweater and now it was Phryne’s turn to unbutton his shirt. When his chest was finally free she bit it playfully. He moaned hoarsely and moved down, between Phryne’s legs. Soon she felt his tongue where his fingers were playing earlier. He was now kind of expert of how to satisfy her and she reached almost instantly the top of the pleasure, then again and again. By the third orgasm she screamed so loudly that Jack was afraid that someone might come in to check if she was murdered. He pressed his lips against hers and soon she felt him inside her. She bit his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. Suddenly she pushed him down the floor and she placed herself on top of him. As she was moving her waist faster and faster she felt his erection was becoming harder. He grabbed her breasts which fitted perfectly in his hand and started to massage them. Phryne moaned lustfully then grasped one of his hands and licked his fingers playfully while she was moving even faster. Jack moaned hoarsely and grabbed her strongly by her bottom which was now moving like wildfire. He sat up and bit her neck just in time to not shout too loudly when they reached together the highest point of pleasure.  
‘I thought you would let me to overcome’ Jack said while they were still gasping for air. Phryne placed a light kiss on his mouth.  
‘You can try next time’ she said playfully and laughed lustily as Jack grabbed her with a hoarse grunt and started to place kisses all over her body while he was on top of her. After some more passionate lovemaking they both fell asleep exhausted in each other’s arm.   
At some point in the middle of the night something woke up Phryne from her dreamless sleep. She listened it with a chocked breath. Noise came from the door, someone was about to break their lock and get inside their room. Phryne decided to not wake up Jack, she wanted to make as little noise as possible. She carefully reached under her pillow until she felt the cold metal of her gun. With a raised weapon she began to sneak toward the door when the floor cracked under her feet. Suddenly the noise from the door stopped and Phryne murmured a quiet swearing as she ran out of the room. But she found no one on the corridor.  
‘What happened?’ Jack appeared next to her in a robe, his eyes were sleepy and his hair messy. Phryne led him back to the room.  
‘I’m sorry Jack, but I think we should stay here after all…’ she said seriously.


	3. Bloody snow

Phryne put her index finger on her lips to sign Jack to keep quiet before she opened the door cautiously. There was still dark and silent outside the room. She waved Jack to follow and stopped by the very next door. She patched her ears gently on the door but she heard nothing. She was about to move to the next door when they heard a drilling shriek and a huge thud. They glanced at each other quickly then started to run to the direction where they assumed the source.   
When they ran down to the ground floor, they found Sarah Johnson at the bottom of the stairs. She was still grabbing the stair railing, but apart from the huge bruise on her forehead and her terrified face, she looked safe and sound. Phryne helped her up and supported her to the nearest sofa.  
‘My goodness, Sarah, what happened?’ she asked while she was giving her a stiff drink.   
By this time everyone appeared in the room in their robes and looked at Sarah with a confused expression.   
‘I…I don’t know’ Sarah stuttered in a crying voice ‘I couldn’t sleep because of all the noises in this house’ Phryne glanced at Jack and judging by the impression of his face, they thought the same. Their lovemaking must have been a little bit too loud. ‘So I decided to check Johnny’s bathroom if there’s any sleeping pills in it. When someone bumped into me and I lost my balance on the top of the stairs. The next moment I was rolling down the stairs…’ Her voice clicked off.  
‘Did you recognize your attacker?’ Phryne asked. She just shook her head. ‘Anyone else?’ She looked around. Everyone looked just as surprised and puzzled like herself. ‘Well, it must have been someone among us.’ She looked around again. ‘Where are the Johnsons?’  
‘They are taking sleeping pills’ Sarah answered while she was having her second drink ‘A gunfire wouldn’t wake them up.’  
“Let’s just hope that won’t happen” Phryne thought to herself while she touched her pistol in her pocket.   
‘Perdonami, cara Phryne but this sounds…assurdo’ Giovanni said. It seemed that his English doesn’t work perfectly right after he got out of bed. ‘I mean, who would do that and why? Mio Dio!’ He burst out passionately.  
‘We don’t know Gio.’ she answered while she studied the others. Everyone was avoiding eye contact. Phryne couldn’t decide if it was guilt or fear. Sarah was still sipping her drink but blinked at the others nervously. Mr Flower’s face didn’t revealed any emotion, he just stood at the fireplace like he didn’t want to take part in this drama. Giovanni still looked at Phryne like he was waiting for a further explanation. His robe seemed hastily put on and he missed a button on his night suit. “Was he sleeping naked?” Phryne thought to herself then her gaze slipped on Miss Red whose hair was down and she was even wearing makeup. She looked sincerely nervous.   
‘Khm’ Phryne heard a polite cough and turned around. The Grubers were standing behind her. She has almost forgot about them. ‘Fraulein Fisher.’   
They didn’t seem to know what has just happened. Phryne looked at Jack who briefly explained to them in German. To her surprise they didn’t seem either shocked or nervous. “Perhaps Jack’s German knowledge isn’t so flawless after all” she thought.  
‘Hungrig?’ Mrs Gruber asked cheerfully and left towards the kitchen before anyone could even answer to that.   
‘She’s making breakfast’ Jack said when Phryne turned towards him quizzically.  
‘I guess they received quite well that someone was just pushed down the stairs.’ Phryne said gloomily and watched how Mrs Gruber started to take out the breakfast ingredients. She looked so cheerful that Phryne thought she would start crooning in any minute.

During breakfast Phryne sat next to Miss Red. She was the only person she didn’t know anything about and she decided it was about time to get to the bottom of this madness.  
‘Miss Red’ she started with a big smile on her face ‘How did you know Johnny? You must have been real close if you accepted his invite without any further question.’  
‘You can call me Ruby.’ She smiled kindly. ‘We met in the US after the war ended.’  
‘And you two were…?’  
‘Lovers? Of course!’ she giggled ‘But you knew him, I understand you two were close too’ She winked at Phryne like they were in a secret club together. It made her shivered.  
‘We were.’ She said. ‘It must have been quite shocking to hear about his death.’ She didn’t answer just nodded and looked down on her plate. ‘You’ve already knew about it, don’t you?’ Phryne asked.   
Ruby raised her head. There was fear in her big green eyes. Then she smiled. ‘I did. I read it in the papers.’  
‘Why did you come here then? You knew that he couldn’t possibly write the invite.’ Phryne studied the young woman’s face with narrowed eyes. Her smile couldn’t have been more fake and she talked with the naturalness of experienced liars.  
‘Why did you?’ She asked back. “Good point.” Phryne thought.  
‘What do you think, who wrote it then?’ Phryne asked instead of answering her question.  
‘I thought it was obvious that Mr Flower did.’ She smiled at Phryne again and she felt the shiver again. Ruby Red was clearly not the innocent, naïve girl she looked like. Phryne felt less and less possible that Mr Flower sent the invites.  
‘What are your plans now?’ Phryne asked and Ruby shrugged her freckled shoulders.  
‘It’s up to you, I guess.’ She smiled at Phryne again. Phryne hasn’t even thought about that she actually owned this chalet now and it caught her by surprise that Miss Red was the one who brought it to her attention.  
‘Sarah!’ Finally the Lieutenant and Mrs Johnson woke up too and they appeared at the breakfast table in their traveling outfit. It seemed like they wanted to leave as soon as possible. ‘What happened to your face?’ The Lieutenant asked in horror.  
When Sarah told them what happened in the night, he went furious. ‘Come on, Mary, pack, we’re leaving this madhouse.’ He grabbed his wife’s arm rather violently.  
‘Lieutenant’ Phryne tried to stay as kind and calm as she could ‘Why don’t you grab some breakfast first? Mrs Gruber made sausages.’  
‘Thank you for your offer, Miss Fisher but I’d rather eat cones in the forest than stay here for a minute longer’ He said arrogantly and left the room. His wife followed him while she was trying to soothe him.  
‘I’m afraid my brother is quite a jerk.’ Sarah said and she lit on a cigarette. ‘But I think he’s right about that. We all should leave.’  
Phryne looked at Jack who seemed just as confused as she was right now. Of course leaving was the only reasonable decision in the situation but she wasn’t sure if it was the right one too. She sensed tension and secrets in the room. Something told her that the events from the other night were just the beginning.   
‘Of course’ Finally she said ‘If you’ll excuse me, I need packing.’ And she left with a polite smile on her face and with Jack on her side.  
She knew instantly that someone was in their room while they were downstairs. She hurried to her nightstand.  
‘Jack’ she whispered ‘Johnny’s letter is missing’  
‘Are you sure?’  
‘Positive’ she nodded ‘I put it there and also it seems that someone scanned our room. Thank God, I had my pistol with me.’ She sighed deeply ‘What are we going to do now?’  
Suddenly a furious roar interrupted their conversation again.  
‘What now?’ Phryne sighed as they walked down the stairs. 

‘What kind of wicked woman are you?!’ The Lieutenant yelled at Phryne. Jack clenched his fists, he didn’t wish to punch this jerk again but he was ready to protect Phryne if it was necessary.  
‘What did I do this time, Lieutenant? I was in my room.’ Phryne said calmly but Jack could sense the frustration behind her words.  
‘Don’t act like you don’t know, Miss Fisher!’ He was still yelling, his face became from red to purple. His blood pressure must have been in the sky. ’Someone made holes in all of my tires right after you said we should stay.’  
Phryne looked around. This whole situation was getting worse and worse. Mrs Johnson and Sarah were standing awkwardly next to the Lieutenant in their furs. They were avoiding eye-contact.  
‘You have no right to talk to me like that, Lieutenant’ Phryne said sternly ‘I obviously didn’t do such thing. Why would I want you here longer anyway?’ “You were nothing else just a pain in the ass since you arrived after all” She added to herself.  
‘Why don’t we call the village on the radio?’ Jack suggested as a white flag.  
‘That’s a tremendous idea, Jack’ Phryne looked at him gratefully ‘I’ll join you.’ 

As they were walking down the basement where the radio was stored, odd memories came to her mind. It happened in London a long time ago:  
“Come on, Phry, let’s do this… - Johnny whispered in her ears – the old bat truly deserves this after what he’s done.   
I know – Phryne giggled. She remembered being a little bit tipsy by then – But don’t you think it’s a bit too much? It’s a beautiful car after all…   
That’s the whole point – Johnny grinned and gave her a wicked wink as he raised a big hunting knife…”  
Phryne quickly waved away the memories as they reached the door of the tiny room. They found it open which was quite odd, considering that they didn’t use this room lately. She had a really bad feeling about that. When Jack picked up the radio she saw the horror in his eyes.  
‘It’s broken’ he said.  
‘Look Jack’ Phryne whispered astonished. ‘The wires were cut off. Someone really wants us to stay here.’  
‘This is bad, Phryne’ Jack whispered ‘We have to stop this before something happen.’ 

But his last words were swallowed up by a horrifying cry. This time it sounded like someone was in a serious trouble. When they came back to the living room, it was empty. They looked around and saw through the window Giovanni laying on his back. The snow around him was blood-red and something was sticking out of his chest. Phryne recognized in horror one of her ski poles in it.  
‘Gio!’ She yelled and ran to her friend. ‘Who did this?!’  
Jack looked around. There was no footsteps around Giovanni and he didn’t see anyone nearby but he decided to look around anyway. The murderer couldn’t get too far.  
‘I heard noises and I found him here like that’ Ruby told Phryne hysterically. She was gasping for air and her clothes were covered in blood.  
‘I was trying to stop the bleeding but honestly…’ Mrs Johnson’s voice cracked. Phryne looked down at Giovanni’s wound. Mrs Johnson put a scarf on it which was already bled out. It seemed that there was not much they can do for him any longer.  
Suddenly Giovanni raised his head, like he collected the rest of his strength and opened his mouth.  
‘She…’ he said in a trembling voice and rolled his eyes like he was looking for something.  
‘Who?!’ Phryne leaned closer to him. ‘Who did this, Gio?’  
Giovanni gulped and he wanted to raise his arm but he couldn’t. He repeated himself instead. ‘She…’ Then he closed his eyes and fell on the ground again.  
Tears rose in Phryne’s eyes as she checked his pulse. She couldn’t feel anything.


	4. Jack in charge

Jack looked around the room full of guests who all became suspects of a murder now. No one spoke, the silence was only broken by Ruby’s hysterical sobbing. The Johnson’s were still wearing their warm clothes and they seemed glued together. The Lieutenant tapped his wife’s shoulder constantly while she was staring at her hands which was still covered in blood. Sarah sat next to them. She smoked one cigarette after another. Mr Flower occupied his favorite spot next to the fireplace where he could observe everyone. He was pensively sipping his whiskey and studying everybody. The Grubers were whispering with each other in German a little bit far from the guests.  
He glanced at Phryne who was still shivering a little. After he returned from searching the area, he found her kneeling beside Giovanni and holding his hand. When she looked at him, there were tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped it off and stood up to hug Jack tightly. He could feel that in this moment the ever so fearless Phryne Fisher was fragile. They stood there for a moment or two then she shook herself and looked at him determinate. Jack knew this look of her. She decided that she had to deal with this situation and do whatever it takes to bring justice to her friend.  
After they placed Giovanni’s body in the cold storage room, he heard her whispering: ‘Goodbye, Gio.’ before they shut down the door. When they entered the living room, everyone was already there like they were waiting for someone to come up with a solution.  
Now Phryne looked at him and Jack knew what she needed from him. To be in charge.  
He took a big breath before he started. ‘Listen everyone’ He said in an official voice ‘I want you to calm down now. I know it must be overwhelming but Miss Fisher and me…’  
‘Excuse me, Combat Guy’ the Lieutenant said in a mocking voice ‘Why do you think that you must be in charge? I for example served my country as a high-ranking officer.’ He straightened and looked at Jack debonair.   
Phryne rolled her eyes and watched Jack’s reaction. His face stayed calm but she could tell by his twitched cheekbones that deep down he was annoyed by this comment.  
‘I am quite sure that you have truly deserved your rank which was coming with your social status, Lieutenant’ He said sternly then looked at the others.   
Phryne glanced at the Lieutenant whose face became red. He was probably not used to such fearless behavior.   
‘As I was going to say before the Lieutenant’s rude interruption’ Jack continued and Phryne discovered a small smile in the corner of his mouth. He definitely enjoyed being in charge again. She felt tingling inside her body. She liked this side of him very much. ‘Miss Fisher and I have some experience in such cases…’  
‘Excuse me, Mr Robinson’ Jack was interrupted again but this time by Sarah Johnson ‘But this doesn’t mean that you are the most competent here. We hardly know anything about you.’ Her voice was haughty and she was still smoking like a chimney. Jack turned towards her with a polite smile on his face.  
‘Then let me introduce myself, Miss Johnson. I am Detective Inspector Robinson and I work for the Victoria Police in Melbourne.’ He said and shook Sarah’s hand whose mouth stayed open and her cigarette was almost completely burned in her fingers.  
‘Detective Inspector?’ the Lieutenant said with his mouth open. He looked so ridiculous that Phryne had to suppress a smile.  
‘That’s right, Lieutenant’ she said. ‘Perhaps you should show some respect from now on.’  
The Lieutenant didn’t answer, just looked at her furiously. Jack sent Phryne a grateful smile before he started to speak again.  
‘Now that we have clarified this, is there any more doubts about our capability?’ he asked and looked around. Nobody answered. ‘Right. Miss Fisher and I will interrogate everyone in the dining room. I recommend that everyone stay together until we finish. Who found the victim?’  
‘That would be me’ Ruby said in a trembling voice.  
‘Are you ready to talk about it, Miss Red?’ he asked kindly.   
‘I am Mr…I’m sorry…Inspector Robinson’ she answered and followed Phryne and Jack to the dining room.  
‘Please tell us exactly what happened’ Jack said kindly after they sat down on the wooden chairs of the dining room. Ruby inhaled deeply before she started to speak.  
‘After breakfast I decided to take a walk because I’ve never been in the mountains before and this was all new for me.’ She looked at Jack innocently with her gorgeous green eyes. Phryne could easily imagine that many men would fall for this look but not Jack. He was rather concentrating on taking notes and she could almost see how his Detective brain started to work.  
‘Did anyone join you?’ Jack asked and he scrawled a quick note.  
‘No. I wanted to ask Giovanni but I couldn’t find him in his room.’ She blushed a little under the strong makeup she was wearing.  
‘When was the last time when you saw him?’  
‘At breakfast’ her voice clicked of and she reached for her handkerchief.  
‘Have you met him before you came here?’ Suddenly Jack asked and Ruby looked up surprised. Her eyes became fierce green.   
‘No, why would you think that?’ She asked indignantly, maybe too indignantly.  
‘Nothing, just the fact that you wanted him to join your walk.’ Jack answered innocently. Of course it wasn’t the reason. He also noticed the little signs of attraction and possible affair which Phryne did earlier. He was an excellent Detective after all. That’s why he knew exactly that Ruby was lying.  
‘I see’ Ruby said slightly relieved. ‘We didn’t know each other earlier but I must say that we became kind of fond of each other in a short time. He was the most normal person in this nut house…’ She glanced at them nervously ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…’  
‘It’s alright, Miss Red.’ Phryne said kindly ‘You are probably right about that.’ She sighed. She really liked Giovanni too. Perhaps not in the way like Ruby but he was a great person and he didn’t deserve such a dreadful end.  
‘Thank you, Miss Fisher’ Ruby smiled at her gratefully.  
‘So you went out for a walk alone…’ Jack returned to the investigation.  
‘That is correct’ she answered.  
‘Did you meet or see anyone? Perhaps you’ve seen something queer?’  
‘I met that Austrian guy, Mr Gruber. He went out for firewood, I guess because he was walking with an axe on his shoulder. I didn’t even greet him because I don’t speak any German at all.’  
‘Right. Anything else?’  
‘No, I didn’t see a soul until I heard…’ she sighed deeply ‘until I heard Giovanni’s shout. I rushed straight away there then I saw… ‘Her voice clicked off. Phryne touched her hand gently to calm her down a little. ‘There was so much blood, it was horrible and I didn’t know what to do.’ Her voice was hysterical and she seemed honestly upset.  
‘Did he say something?’ Phryne still remembered that Giovanni repeated the same thing twice for her. “She…” Perhaps because it was a woman who murdered him.  
Ruby narrowed her eyes, trying to recall. ‘I’m not sure’ she said slowly ‘She said something but it was so strange. She called me “Rubina”.Perhaps he was so in pain that things were getting mixed up in his head.’ Her voice clicked off again and tears ran into her eyes. She was certainly still in shock because of what happened.  
Phryne squeezed her hand in comfort. ‘Rubina means Ruby in Italian’ she said kindly.  
‘Oh’ that was all she said and turned her head away but Phryne saw her smiling.  
‘What happened after that?’ Jack turned the conversation back on track. Ruby wiped off the tears from her eyes before she answered.  
‘Uhm…A few people came…I’m trying to remember…’ she narrowed her eyes again. ‘I guess Mr Flower arrived first but he left right away to get some help. Fortunately Mrs Johnson came and she seemed like she knew what she was doing. And of course you and Miss Fisher were there too.’   
‘What about the others? You said you met Mr Gruber before you found Mr Rosso.’  
‘But I certainly didn’t see him after that.’ She said thoughtfully.  
‘Thank you, Miss Red. I think that was enough for now.’ Jack glanced at Phryne if she had further questions. Judging by the sparkle of her eyes, she had. She leaned forward a little before she started to speak.  
‘Tell me, Ruby.’ She said kindly. ‘Is your room comfortable enough? I’m feeling so bad that I could only offer that tiny bedroom separated from the others. But I’m afraid we are too many in this tiny chalet.’ She smiled at her apologetically but she was eagerly waiting for her answer.  
‘Don’t worry about it, Miss Fisher’ she waved and shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’ve never had a bigger bedroom.’  
‘Also, you didn’t spend too much time there, didn’t you?’ Phryne asked challengingly in a high pitched voice.  
‘Excuse me?’ Ruby’s face became red again but this time because of anger.  
‘Tell me, where you were last night?’   
‘In my room, of course.’ Her voice was trembling a little. She was obviously not telling the truth. ‘Until I heard Miss Johnson’s cry.’  
‘Do you know how Johnny called the room where you are staying?’ Phryne asked in a chatty voice. Ruby didn’t answered just shook her head. ‘He called it the “Smooshing room”. ’ Phryne saw in the corner of her eyes that Jack rolled his eyes. ‘Because it is in a separated place and also made it to be sound-proof so no one could hear what is going on inside.’ She stood up and walked to Ruby. ‘And trust me, I know that from experience that you can’t hear anything from inside either.’  
Ruby didn’t answered just stared at Phryne for a while. Unlike what they have seen so far, Ruby wasn’t the person who breaks under pressure easily.  
‘Perhaps things have changed since your stay.’ She said arrogantly while she was still holding the gaze.  
‘She is hiding something.’ Phryne said when Ruby left the room.  
‘Perhaps we should visit the “Smooshing room”. ‘Jack said it with a slightly indignant tone in his voice. Phryne knew that probably the distaste against Johnny and the whole idea of this specific room is working in him but she decided to ignore this.  
‘That’s a good idea, Jack!’ She said cheerfully and now Jack didn’t even want to hide his disgust anymore.


	5. In the smooshing room

The “smooshing rom” was indeed hidden from the other parts of the chalet. There was a tiny door under the stairs where you could reach the corridor which leaned to the room. The door wasn’t open and Phryne reached immediately for her lock pick in her cleavage. Jack looked around briefly. He didn’t feel like he wanted to go inside. Phryne probably saw his hesitation because she asked him to wait outside and guard.  
It took only a few moments for Phryne to break the lock and enter the room. The window must have stayed open because the wind slammed the door immediately behind her. Jack rushed to the other side of the corridor but he didn’t hear any footsteps. It seemed that their break in stayed unnoticed.  
He shuddered a little. Despite that all the doors were closed the corridor was still draughty. He could even hear the whistling of the wind. In a strange way Jack felt that it came from the wall. He stroked his hand where he suspected the source. It was a tiny gap on the wall where the wind was escaping. He pushed the wall gently and frowned a little as the stale air slammed into his face. Apparently there was a hidden room behind the wall. Its small window was open, that’s where the wind came from. There was nothing in there except from some old ski equipment.  
Jack checked his watch. It’s been over 20 minutes since Phryne entered the “smooshing room”. He was afraid that the others will notice their disappearance so he decided to warn her to hurry up a little. He opened the door but he surely didn’t expect what he found behind it.  
********************  
Phryne looked around the room with a sigh. Johnny called this room jokingly a “smooshing room” but honestly he didn’t really use it for such activity. It was more like a relax room for him where he can be alone and do whatever he wanted without any disturbance. Now that Phryne met his whole family, she could understand the reason of it. She shivered a little, the window was slightly open for some reason.  
It looked like Ruby didn’t spend too much time in the room. Her luggage laid untouched on the floor and also her bed didn’t seem like anyone slept there. Only her dressing table seemed used. Jewelries and toilet ware were laying on the table and Phryne discovered her handbag from yesterday. She decided to start the search there.  
According to her American passport she was indeed Ruby Red and she only came to Europe a few months ago. Phryne unpacked the contents of the bag. She found a cheap lipstick, a wallet with some British pounds in it and some old photographs. She picked up one of the photos. Two men and a young woman was on it. She recognized in one man Johnny immediately. The woman was probably Ruby ten years younger and the other man… Suddenly she heard a creaky voice behind her back and cold air on her naked nape.  
‘Jack, look what I have found.’ She turned around but instead of Jack she was facing with a gun and Mr Flower.  
‘Give me your pistol, Miss Fisher’ he said. Phryne reached for her pistol in her handbag very slowly while she stepped a little closer to him. ‘I’m warning you, Miss Fisher’ Mr Flower’s hand shuddered a little and he briefly looked at Phryne’s handbag. She was taking the opportunity and quickly kicked out the gun of his hand. Mr Flower swore, she quickly picked up his gun and aimed at him with it.  
Suddenly the door opened and Jack appeared. He looked at Phryne who didn’t take her eyes off Mr Flower. Then he looked at the lawyer who stand in front of her with raised arms.  
‘Hello Jack’ Phryne greeted him lightly. ‘Guess what. I’ve just found our next suspect to interrogate.’  
**************  
‘Now talk’ Phryne said threateningly after Mr Flower was seated in a chair. ‘What are you doing here, Mr Flower?’  
‘I can ask you the same, Miss Fisher’ Mr Flower answered sardonically. ‘You are the one I caught red-handed with Miss Red’s handbag in your hand.’  
‘That’s why you crawled through the window like a burglar?’ Mr Flower didn’t answer just turned his head away. He obviously wasn’t here to protect Ruby’s properties. ‘So it happened that you were on a walk with a gun and saw me in the room through the window?’  
‘There is a murderer among us, Miss Fisher. It is not safe to go outside without a weapon.’ He was trying to stay calm but Phryne felt the uneasiness in his voice.  
‘Why did you bring a gun with you to the mountains anyway?’ Phryne asked but Mr Flower didn’t answer. ‘Why did you even go outside when you were supposed to stay with the others?’  
‘I’m afraid, we got bored, Miss Fisher.’ Mr Flower snorted. ‘No one is in the living room anymore.’ Phryne glanced at Jack. They were locked up with a bunch of idiots obviously. ‘Now I know why you didn’t come back. You were busy with snooping around other people’s stuffs.’  
‘We are trying to solve a murder, Mr Flower.’ Phryne was about to lose her patience. Mr Flower’s arrogance began to go on her nerves. ‘Snooping around seemed our only option because everybody lied to us since the moment they arrived.’ Her voice was so threatening that Mr Flower seemed broken by it a little. Phryne taking advantage of his temporary weakness stepped closer to him and aimed her pistol threateningly at him. ‘But I guess it would be one less liar if I would just simply shoot you.’ She said.  
‘You wouldn’t…’ Mr Flower swallowed and looked anxiously at her tiny pistol.  
‘Do you want to bet?’ For a few minutes they stared at each other then suddenly Mr Flower sighed deeply.  
‘Fine.’ He said. ‘I guess I have no other options.’ Phryne suppressed a triumphant smile. ‘I came here because of the letter.’  
‘The letter Johnny wrote?’ Phryne asked puzzled. ‘Was Ruby the one who stole it?’ Mr Flower didn’t answer just nodded. ‘Why did you need that? I thought you’ve already read it.’ She was quite sure that the lawyer opened the letter before he gave it to her because the seal was slightly damaged. Mr Flower looked at her surprised. He must have thought that Phryne wasn’t aware of that.  
‘I, er… I did.’ He stuttered. ‘I just didn’t want Ruby to know about it.’  
‘Why? It is just a silly joke.’ Mr Flower frowned like he wanted to measure exactly how much she knows. ‘What did Johnny hide here?’ she asked. Mr Flower hesitated before he answered.  
‘I am not quite sure, Miss Fisher.’ He said. ‘But if my assumptions are correct then this chalet is much more valuable than we first thought.’  
‘Go on.’ Phryne raised her pistol slightly to emphasize.  
‘If I tell you what I know, Miss Fisher. You have to offer me something in exchange for the information.’ He said insolently.  
‘What if you tell me everything you know and you won’t get a bullet in your head?’ She asked simply and Mr Flower gulped. He looked at Phryne’s determined face and he knew that she would do that without hesitation.  
‘Very well then.’ He said and took a deep breath before he started his story. ‘You might know that after the war ended Mr Johnson decided to travel to the United States to make fortune. A few years later he had to leave the country because of illegal business and he came home.’  
Of course Phryne already knew about these. Johnny wanted to start his jewelry business in the US but unfortunately he got into bad company and instead of prison he chose to come home and hide from authority.  
‘Back in London he came to visit me.’ Mr Flower continued. ‘He told me a remarkable story about a lost diamond which he was able to put his hand on it. He needed my advice about its insurance because he didn’t want to sell it for God knows why.’  
‘What did you tell him?’  
‘I recommended his family trezor.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘His family used to be wealthy and each of them has a separate account so his relatives wouldn’t know what he would lock up there.’  
‘I assume he didn’t like the idea.’ Phryne said. He was sure that a criminal, even a petty one like Johnny wouldn’t put his money in a bank.  
‘No, he didn’t.’ Mr Flower sighed. ‘And I didn’t see him after that, not until he made me to write his last will.’  
‘When was that?’  
‘Only a few months ago.’ The lawyer answered pensively. ‘He said that he was planning to travel around.’  
“Probably before he came to Paris.” Phryne thought.  
‘To be honest, I’ve almost forgot about what he said about the diamond five years ago.’ Mr Flower continued. ‘And when he came to me and made me to write that ridiculous will, I became curious.’  
‘So you read my letter.’ Phryne said and Mr Flower nodded.  
‘Of course I didn’t understand a word but there was one thing I knew for sure, that the diamond is here.’  
‘Why did you write those invitations then? Why didn’t you come here alone to looking for it?’ Phryne asked and Mr Flower looked at her in a puzzled expression.  
‘I didn’t write the invitations, Miss Fisher’ He said. ‘But I have a tip who did…’  
‘I did.’ Everyone turned around. Ruby was standing on the door for God knows how long. The window was already closed, so they didn’t hear her coming.  
‘I assume you knew about the diamond because you were with Johnny in the US when he purchased it.’ Phryne said thoughtfully. Suddenly the story became clear, at least part of it. She still didn’t have the idea why Giovanni had to die.  
‘Indeed, Miss Fisher.’ Ruby nodded appreciatively. Her manner changed a lot since their last conversation.  
‘Except that you and Johnny were never lovers, right Ruby?’ Phryne asked and looked at her challengingly. By the look of her face she knew she was right.  
‘What does make you think that?’ She asked in confusion.  
‘First it was suspicious that you knew about my relationship with Johnny. We only met after he returned from the US and hearing your accent, I wouldn’t think that you spent too much time here lately.’ She glanced at Ruby whose eyes became fierce green again. ‘My suspicion was confirmed after I saw your passport. According to that you came to Europe only a few months ago.’ Phryne paused and waited for the reaction.  
‘I read it on the papers.’ She shrugged her shoulders.  
‘We were never engaged, dear and I doubted that anyone would know about an unmarried British couple’s relationship from the US newspapers.’ Phryne mocked. Ruby stared at her furiously but she didn’t say anything. ‘But the decisive evidence which convinced me about your lie was this photograph.’ She picked up the photograph she found earlier in Ruby’s purse. ‘This is Johnny, you and Giovanni. If I’m not mistaken.’ She studied Ruby’s face which was now dark red. ‘So you actually met Giovanni before, moreover you were very close.’  
‘Fine.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You caught me. Giovanni was my lover.’  
‘Why did you lie about that?’ Jack asked. Although he knew that Phryne already figured that out. ‘You would have been easily accepted here as a couple. You wouldn’t have to lie just to be here.’  
‘Because there was a plan.’ Phryne answered for Ruby. ‘They wanted the diamond but they didn’t know where it was hidden. They had to find it without anyone suspecting. It’s a simple strategy, split up and rule. If one would become suspicious, the other can still operate.’ Phryne glanced at Ruby and she knew she was right. ‘I assume as an old friend of mine Giovanni could have easily earned my trust and I might have let him to take part in the search of the diamond. While Ruby could do all the dirty work…’  
‘Like stealing Johnny’s letter from our room, then push Miss Johnson down the stairs who unsuspectingly crossed your way.’ Jack finished Phryne’s sentence pensively. ‘And sending out those ridiculous invitations.’  
‘That one wasn’t my idea though.’ She murmured and she glanced at Mr Flower whose face became red.  
‘Interesting’ Phryne said in a high pitched voice. ‘So the three of you collaborated secretly. You couldn’t figure out the hiding place, so you decided to let me to do the detective work.’ They didn’t answer but Phryne knew she was right. ‘You even invited the Johnsons to make it more believable. But Ruby and Gio decided to begin a private action. Ruby stole the letter but things went to the wrong direction when Giovanni died.’ She looked at Mr Flower. ‘Which makes you, Mr Flower the number one suspect.’  
‘He didn’t do it, Miss Fisher.’ Ruby said quietly. ‘He was with me at the time.’ Phryne looked at her with interest. ‘We were arguing about the letter when we heard Giovanni’s awful cry.’ Her voice trembled a little as a result of memory.  
‘What did he do outside anyway?’ Phryne asked.  
‘He said he had an idea about the first clue.’ Ruby’s voice became weepy again.  
‘How could he even take that silly letter seriously?’ Phryne sighed. ‘Has he even seen the diamond?’  
Mr Flower glanced at Ruby before he answered. ‘Do you even know what kind of diamond we are talking about, Miss Fisher?’ Phryne didn’t answered. ‘That’s what I assumed.’ He sighed. ‘Have you ever heard of the Florentine Diamond?’


	6. Florentine Diamond

Phryne didn’t answer just raised one of her eyebrows. As a well informed and educated woman she was quite familiar with the legend of the long lost Florentine Diamond or as other might call it, the Austrian Yellow Diamond. It was the biggest diamond known so far with a weight of 133 carats and its characteristic yellowish-pink color made it even more special and valuable. Its country of origin was India and there were many theories about where it appeared over the years. Some claimed the diamond was cursed because it witnessed the fall of several rulers. One thing was sure that the unique gem was owned by the Habsburg family even in the last days of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, in November 1918, when IV. Charles, the last emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, resigned from the throne. No one knew what happened with it after the Habsburgs were exiled from Austria. At least until now.  
‘The Florentine Diamond disappeared during the war.’ Phryne said doubtfully. ‘And trust me, Mr Flower, Johnny had nothing to do with the Habsburg family, especially that he was stationed on the western front.’  
‘That’s right, Miss Fisher.’ Mr Flower smiled and replied in a pleasant chatty style like no one was aiming at him with a gun. ‘And I wouldn’t say that I am completely convinced myself but he told me a quite believable story about how the diamond got in his possession.’ He took a significant pause before he continued. ‘He came to know from somewhere that the Habsburgs wanted to place the diamond in a Swiss safe and they appointed by completing the transaction a Viennese lawyer, called Bruno Steiner. Unfortunately Mr Steiner was prosecuted in 1924 on suspicion of fraud. In the lengthy lawsuit, the court eventually acquitted the lawyer for lack of evidence, but he never revealed what happened with the Florentine Diamond. Rumor has it that sometime after 1918 by a person close to the Imperial family stole it and took it to South America with other gems of the Crown Jewels.’ He looked at Phryne meaningfully and waited for the effect.  
‘Do you think that Johnny did it?’ Phryne’s brain started to work feverishly. He knew that Johnny wasn’t a saint but stealing gems for a Swiss safe wouldn’t be his style at all.  
‘Not quite, Miss Fisher.’ Mr Flower scoffed. ‘I think he only met the diamond in the US, at least that was what he told me. The bloke who gave him to recut and sell it was his war buddy and he was probably the one who stole it.’ Suddenly Phryne began to see more clearly the circumstances of Johnny’s return to England.  
‘When was the time again when Bruno Steiner was prosecuted?’ She asked thoughtfully.  
‘It was 1924, exactly when Mr Johnson came back to England.’ Mr Flower answered like he was reading Phryne’s mind. ‘I am not sure if the two things are connected though.’ He spread his arms.  
‘That is a quite a story, Mr Flower but Johnny was a master of lying. What makes you think he didn’t make up the whole thing?’ She asked.  
‘Because I have a witness, Miss Fisher.’ The lawyer pointed at Ruby who stepped a little closer with confident on her face.  
‘That is right, Miss Fisher. I saw the diamond with my own eyes. I have never seen such a beautiful thing in my life.’ Her face became greedy and desirous, Phryne had a bad feeling about it. Maybe Miss Red didn’t want to share the treasure, not even with her beau.   
‘Fine, let’s assume that this is all true.’ Phryne started to think aloud with frowned eyes. ‘But you can’t be sure that he brought the diamond here. I was the only one who came with him and I didn’t notice anything.’   
She was trying to remember that day when Johnny and she came here for the first time. She still felt the excitement that they were alone here in the middle of nowhere and they could do anything what they liked. And they did. They did it in every room, every corner as they liked, even outside in a frosty cave. They were horny, reckless and didn’t care about tomorrow. Except that tomorrow came and after a couple of days of infinite lovemaking they kind of got bored of each other. She still remembered that morning when she woke up and Johnny was sitting next to her bed in his thoughts. That was the moment when she realized that the romantic weekend was over. On second thought, it seemed quite believable now that he had other business here than just satisfy her in every way it was possible.  
‘What else could it be, Miss Fisher?’ Mr Flower’s voice interrupted her train of thoughts. ‘You and his relatives said that he had no other valuable thing in his possession. I think it worth a try.’ He said softly and stepped closer to Phryne. ‘And I think we deserve some part of the treasure for the information we told you about.’ He winked at her slyly which caused her nausea.   
‘I only care about finding the murderer of my friend, Mr Flower.’ She answered sternly. ‘I only care about your treasure hunt because I think it is somehow connected with Giovanni’s death. And if it turns out that you had something to do with it, you will hang.’ She paused, her eyes scanning him intently.  
Silence fell on the group and Jack felt he needed to break it.  
‘Alright, Mr Flower and Miss Red, I’m afraid I have to ask you to not leave your room until we get to the bottom of this.’ He said officially and they looked at him indignantly.  
‘You can’t do this.’ Ruby cried out. ‘I want to know how Gio died as much as you do, Miss Fisher.’ She turned towards Phryne imploringly. There were tears in her green eyes. ‘I loved him, he wanted to marry me when this would be over. We just wanted money for our life together…’ She started to sob heartbreakingly. Phryne couldn’t decide if she was a complete mess or a very good actress.  
‘I am sorry, Miss Red but we have already risked too much.’ She tapped the sobbing woman’s shoulder as kindly as she could. ‘What if we return to the living room, drink something and then I ask Mr and Mrs Gruber to keep an eye on you and Mr Flower?’  
‘I think that is a fair offer, Miss Fisher.’ Mr Flower answered instead of Ruby and Phryne caught a meaningful look between them. She decided to ignore it, at least for now.

When they returned to the living room they found Sarah and the Lieutenant being in a deep conversation on one of the sofas. Sarah was holding a cigarette in her hand as usual and her brother was telling her something with big gestures. As he saw Phryne and the others he suddenly became quiet then stood up and smiled at them in a rather sarcastic way.  
‘Ah, Miss Fisher and Inspector “strike hard” Robinson, how nice of you to finally show up.’ His voice was even more sarcastic then his smile. Phryne felt irritated.  
‘We are trying to solve a murder case, Lieutenant.’ Jack said sternly. ‘We certainly don’t have time for your sarcasm.’ Lieutenant Johnson didn’t answer, only his face signaled his indignation. ‘Where is your wife, by the way?’  
Suddenly if she has been enchanted by Jack’s question, the door opened and Mary Johnson appeared in warm clothes and a ski equipment in her hand. She didn’t say anything just greeted them with a short nod and hurried to the trolley where the appetizers for the lunch were already prepared. She grabbed hungrily one of the drinks then made herself comfortable in front of the fireplace.  
‘Will you share with us where you were, Mrs Johnson?’ Jack demanded and turned towards the woman who was now sipping her drink in relief. ‘I thought we were clear when we told you not to leave this room.’   
‘That is very kind of you, Inspector that you were worried about me.’ She sent a sweet smile towards Jack then suddenly her face distorted into a mocking grin. ‘Unless you are afraid that I’ve slaughtered everyone outside while you were busy with God knows what.’ Phryne looked at her with surprise. Suddenly she saw the self-conscious and strong woman in Mrs Johnson she hasn’t discovered until now. Her cheeks were still red and her hazel hair is messy because of the skiing but her grey eyes were gleaming. She looked at Jack challengingly like she was enjoying having argument with a man who thought less about her. Phryne started to wonder why she married the Lieutenant who hasn’t show any respect towards women yet.  
‘Will you answer my question, Mrs Johnson?’ Jack asked firmly without reacting her sarcastic comments.   
During his police work he has already met all kind of people and she seemed only one of the intelligent aristocratic women who thought they are better than everyone else and refused to answer a simple question. Luckily the aristocrats had Phryne Fisher. She didn’t look down on people just because they didn’t move in the same circles like her and never judged anyone by his possession or rank. From the very first time they crossed each other’s path she never handled him like a police officer but a partner and friend she trusted and admired. These feelings only deepened over time while their friendship based on mutual respect also remained.  
‘What do you think, Inspector?’ Mrs Johnson chuckled sarcastically and pointed down on her sportswear. ‘Honestly, I thought you were smarter than this.’ She grinned at Jack whose face became harder.   
Phryne always could tell when he was upset by observing the twitching of his cheek in a certain point on his face. Now he seemed extremely annoyed by Mrs Johnson and he gave her that strict Inspector look which always made people to confess and a tingling sensation in Phryne’s body. Mrs Johnson hold her ground for a while then a few minutes later she rolled her eyes in resign.  
‘I was outside to check out if we can leave this madhouse by ski.’ She said gloomily. ‘But unfortunately the snow storm from last night brought a lot of snow and now it is impossible to ski without sinking in the fresh and soft snow.’  
‘What a luck that your outfit didn’t get snowy at all, Mrs Johnson.’ Phryne added sarcastically.   
As for her she wouldn’t trust in this woman. Suddenly she remembered Johnny’s words in his letter: “remember, you can’t trust in anyone. Especially my family.” She wished that he would have shared more details about that. Mary Johnson didn’t answer her just gave her a sharp look.  
‘Are you insulting my wife now, Miss Fisher?’ The Lieutenant stood up threateningly and stepped closer to Phryne. ‘She was only trying to help you while you were disappeared like donkey in the fog. We can ask you the same questions about your whereabouts.’ He demanded and stared at Phryne. She hesitated. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to share with the Johnsons they have learnt earlier about the Florentine Diamond. She glanced at Jack who seemed like he was thinking the same.  
‘It calls investigation, Lieutenant.’ Jack answered sternly. ‘We have already interrogated Miss Red and Mr Flower, perhaps we can continue with you or your wife?’ The Lieutenant didn’t answer just fixed Jack with a sharp stare.  
‘Oh for Goodness’’ sake!’ Sarah cried out from the sofa. ‘I’ll go with you, Inspector.’ She said resignedly and stood up.  
‘Thank you, Miss Johnson.’ Jack said politely then looked at the others. ‘No one leaves the room until we come back. Where is Mr and Mrs Gruber?’  
‘I assume, they are preparing lunch.’ Sarah shrugged. ‘I’m not quite sure they understand what happened to Mr Rosso.’  
‘Perhaps we don’t speak the same language but they are not idiots, Sarah.’ Phryne said thoughtfully. ‘Can anyone recall when they were gone?’ Everyone looked at Phryne in perplexity.  
‘Don’t bother, Miss Fisher, they must have gone about their business.’ Mrs Johnson poured another drink for herself. Phryne decided not to comment to this one, she didn’t feel like starting another fight with Mr and Mrs Johnson.  
‘Go with Sarah, Jack, I’ll find the Grubers.’ She lowered her voice as she leaned to Jack. He only nodded and left with Sarah.

Jack studied Sarah Johnson for a while before he started to question her. She didn’t even bother anymore to ask if she can lit on a cigarette, she just did it with well-practiced movements. She was smoking with pleasure for a few minutes before she looked at Jack with satisfaction on her face.  
‘Has Phryne ever told you about the history of this chalet, Inspector?’ She asked in a chatty voice like she wouldn’t be there to discuss about a murder. Jack only shook his head politely. He decided to let Sarah to talk a little. Perhaps it would bring her in a state where she could tell him about more important things.  
‘My grandparents built it 50 years ago.’ Sarah started her story while she sucked her cigarette deeply. ‘Of course there was different times back then. They threw big parties and had every kind of interesting guests here.’ She gave Jack a meaningful look, like she was implying that the quality of the guests was greatly diluted lately. ‘My grandmother was especially proud of that photograph.’ She pointed with her head at a framed picture hanging on the wall behind Jack. ‘It was taken when Empress Elizabeth of Austria or as the Hungarians call her, Sissi visited the chalet. She liked spending time in the mountains.’ She smoked her cigarette thoughtfully before she continued. ‘And now it is a scene of a murder.’ She scoffed.  
‘Where were you when it happened?’ Jack asked.  
‘You mean after I was pushed down on the stairs?’ She touched lightly the bruise on her forehead. ‘My brother was quite pissed off when he found out what happened to me and when his tires were purposely damaged he became furious. After you and Miss Fisher left to check out the radio, he has completely lost it. He was yelling and swearing constantly and everyone around him came up with an alibi to leave the room.’  
‘Where did everyone go?’ Jack asked and took out his notes.  
‘I think that poor Italian bloke left first.’ She was smoking thoughtfully. ‘He went outside for some unknown reason. He was rather in a hurry. Of course we know that by now that he didn’t make it too far.’ She sighed without emotions. ‘Then my sister-in-law got fed up with my brother’s whining and she left to her room. At least that was what she said.’ She shrugged and lit on another cigarette.  
‘What about you and your brother?’  
‘I was trying to calm him down. He has a high blood pressure and stress is a great risk factor in his condition.’ She explained.  
‘I had the impression that his wife was taking care of him.’ Jack said cautiously. Sarah looked at him with surprise. She was rolling her cigarette between her fingers with long red nails.  
‘She used to be a nurse during the war. That is how she met Charles. He claimed, she saved his life.’ She said shortly and Jack nodded. It was a classic love story from war time. Many soldier fell in love with their nurses because under those circumstances everyone desired something safe and kind. It produced impossible couples sometimes. The Lieutenant and Mary Johnson was a quite good example for that.   
‘Why didn’t she stay then to take care of him?’ Jack asked. Sarah’s nostrils trembled and she blushed a little under her strong makeup.  
‘Perhaps you noticed, Inspector that my brother is not exactly an easy case. He could be quite difficult and even rude sometimes.’ She exhaled a great amount of smoke with a big sigh. “That is quite an understatement” Jack thought.  
‘Did he insult his wife?’   
‘I’m afraid he said something very hurtful to Mary, even if I didn’t quite understand that.’  
‘What did he say exactly?’ Jack leaned a little closer.  
‘Something like all of this was her fault.’ She was trying to remember with narrowed eyes. ‘I must say, Inspector I heard him saying about her ruder. Perhaps it was just the last drop in the glass.’ She shrugged her shoulders.  
‘Why would he say something like this?’ Jack asked.  
‘I have no idea. He should rather blame Mr Flower, it was his idea to come here after all.’ She sighed and adjusted her fur coat. It was rather cold in the dining room, looked like no one ignited the fireplace here.  
‘Have you seen Mr and Mrs Gruber lately?’ Suddenly Jack asked. Sarah pursed her lips thoughtfully before she answered.  
‘I can’t say, I did.’ She said slowly. ‘I assumed they were doing their job.’ Jack nodded politely. In aristocrat families the good servant was the invisible and effective one. Except in this case their absence felt extremely disturbing.


End file.
